Mint chip is one of my favorite flavors of ice cream (always green though, never white!) and swirl cupcakes are my new favorite style of cake products so I knew they would form a happy union together.  This recipe is very minty but stops far short of being tooth-paste flavored.

Yield: 12 cupcakes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes

cupcake ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2.5 tsp mint extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 5-10 drops green food coloring (adjust as needed to achieve a “mint green” color)

directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Prepare a cupcake tin with 12 liners.
2. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
4. Beat eggs into butter-sugar mixture one at a time.
5. Stir in mint extract.
6. Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
7. Carefully stir milk into batter until smooth.
8. Divide the batter into two bowls.  Add mini chips to one bowl and food coloring to the other.
9. Fill each liner halfway with white chip batter.  Top with green batter.  Use a clean toothpick to swirl the two sides together.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cake springs back to the touch.

for frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2.5 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp mint extract
• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Use a mixer to cream together butter and sugar.  Beat in extract and melted chocolate until smooth.  Wait until cupcakes have cooled completely to frost.  Extra frosting can be kept in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.